Nature Trail - Rio Ramato and Calanchi dell'Africa

• Departure: Parcheggio viale dei Martiri
• Duration: 2 hour/s 30 minutes
• Difficulty Level: E - Hiking (level)
• Length: 5.2 km
• Recommended Period: from March to October

The itinerary was born from the union of two old itineraries (“Il rio Ramato” and “Salita a monte Gennaro”) to allow a ring excursion simplifying the reading on the map and at the same time the signs on the territory.

It starts from the large parking  located at the entrance of Monteveglio and enters the valley of the small stream entering a damp wood where, not far away, you will find the “copper spring” which owes its name to the color given by the deposit of iron oxides and hydroxides. Along the banks, among hazelnuts and elderberries, the hornbeam and herbaceous plants linked to humid and cool environments such as snowdrops stand out. About halfway along the river, you face a decisive staircase that takes the itinerary out of the vallecola near the didactic pond and the old crops now kept as a prairie.

At the end of the cultivations, turn right following the small overhanging path on the gorge generated by the small rio Africa which soon leads into the calanchi dell’Africa basin, inside which the waters that give life to the rio Ramato are collected. A decisive descent (slippery in case of wet ground) leads inside the amphitheater to climb it on the opposite side along the slopes of Mount Gennaro.
About halfway through the amphitheater it is possible, taking the connecting path that branches off to the left, to reach via Volta. Continuing the climb to the top of Mount Gennaro instead, you cross a wood of downy oaks in which, during the spring, splendid orchids bloom to emerge on the northern side of the mountain characterized by an extensive planting of vines. From the top of Mount Gennaro, characterized by a group of cedars and oaks in the shade of which it is possible to rest, you can admire a wide view of the Abbazia hill, the head of the Rio Ramato valley and the gullies of Pan Perso. Going back a few tens of meters back to the vineyard and follow on the left (for those who descend) the path that soon takes us to via Sassuolo. From here the route follows the asflated road passing next to the historic nucleus of the Chapel, once a vast possession of the canons of Monteveglio, in whose courtyard, near the large oven-chicken coop, stands a large oak, one of the most majestic in the park. Continuing downhill you will reach the initial parking area again.